Florida Probes Foreclosure Filing Practices

Law firms handling foreclosures suspected of unfair and
deceptive practices

A number of homeowners struggling through the mortgage
modification process have said they were blindsided with unexpected
foreclosure actions before they process could be completed.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum wants to know if there's a
pattern. He's launched three new investigations into allegations of
unfair and deceptive actions by Florida law firms handling foreclosure
cases.

The Attorney General's Economic Crimes Division is investigating
whether improper documentation may have been created and filed with
Florida courts to speed up foreclosure processes, potentially without
the knowledge or consent of the homeowners involved.

The new investigations name The Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson, P.A.;
Shapiro & Fishman, LLP; and the Law Offices of David J. Stern, P.A. The
law firms were hired by loan servicers to begin foreclosure proceedings
when consumers were in arrears on their mortgages.

Paper chase

Because many mortgages have been bought and sold by different institutions
multiple times, key paperwork involved in the process to obtain
foreclosure judgments is often missing. On numerous occasions, allegedly
fabricated documents have been presented to the courts in foreclosure
actions to obtain final judgments against homeowners.

Thousands of final judgments of foreclosure against Florida homeowners may have been the
result of the allegedly improper actions of the law firms under investigation,McCollum said.

The attorney general's office is also investigating whether the law firms
have created affiliated companies outside the United States where the
allegedly false documents are being prepared and then submitted to the law
firms for use.

Subpoenas have been served on each of the law firms listed above, and the
investigations are continuing, McCollum said.

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